


On a Golden Hill

by Storyteller_of_the_Forest



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Brodinsons, Gen, Grief, Grief/Mourning, Hurt/Comfort, Loki (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Loki (Marvel) is a Good Bro, No Slash, Post-Avengers: Infinity War Part 1 (Movie), Shuri is awesome, Temporary Character Death, Thor (Marvel) Needs a Hug, Thor (Marvel) is Not Stupid, Thor (Marvel) is a Good Bro
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-11-18
Updated: 2018-11-18
Packaged: 2019-08-25 08:58:40
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 7,537
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16658095
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Storyteller_of_the_Forest/pseuds/Storyteller_of_the_Forest
Summary: The battle is over. The dead have been laid to rest and the rebuilding efforts are well under way.The night before he leaves Wakanda, Loki approaches Shuri and asks to be shown the last journey his brother went on. He cannot leave without saying one last goodbye, though he doesn't know how he's going to do so. The short journey is full of tears, heartache, and just a small bit of hope.(Takes place some time during my first fic: "No Place to Hide")





	On a Golden Hill

**Author's Note:**

> As readers are most likely aware, my series of one-shots was inspired in part by the loss of a dear friend who passed away shortly before I posted "No Place to Hide." I have been dealing with this loss ever since and it's still very difficult to think that my friend is no longer here. There's not a day that goes by that I don't miss them.
> 
> I recently had a very trying week, compounded by this grief, which inspired this fic. No idea why, but I was trying to picture what Asgardian grieving customs would look like. How would they adjust in a new environment?
> 
> REGULAR WARNINGS
> 
> Haven't seen Infinity War and am not going to see Infinity War. I don't do romantic ships, especially not between family members. If you're into that kind of thing, go elsewhere please (and don't tag my work with incest ships, please).
> 
> I'm very, VERY new to writing fics. So I apologize for any mistakes, mis-characterizations, formatting errors, or just any glaring errors. Please be gentle.
> 
> Kudos and reviews are greatly appreciated. I don't own anything, obviously all characters and recognizable aspects belong to Marvel.
> 
> I hope you enjoy the story and thank you for reading :)

* * *

 

Shuri was reviewing some schematics relating to the trains that transported vibranium. She was making adjustments, improving the tracks and the magnets so they ran more efficiently. T’Challa was away on a diplomatic errand and would be gone until tomorrow. Most of the Wakandans and the few allies who were still in the country were focused on rebuilding efforts. Shuri had been helping out earlier but desired the peace and quiet of her lab.

She grinned widely and erased a part of a formula, correcting it with the proper figures. Letting out a small sound of satisfaction, Shuri ran a hand over her hair. That error had been bothering her for almost an hour and she was pleased that she had finally figured it out.

Turning to grab her tablet, she jumped a little when she noticed the man in green and black clothing, finely tailored, standing a few feet away. He held a bag over his shoulder and his green eyes were darting around the brightly lit space. Of all the people Shuri expected to enter her lab, the Asgardian god of mischief was not one of them. He never ventured to the palace, not since he had left his brother’s body so many nights ago. Since the Guardians left, Loki had been helping with the rebuilding efforts and would tend to any hurts that were incurred. According to Ayo, he still got tired fairly regularly and spent a great deal of time in the hut down by the river.

Shuri swallowed. “Prince Loki, right?”

Loki’s eyes turned to her as if he’d forgotten he wasn’t alone in the laboratory. He swallowed and shook his head, his brows knitting together.

“No, I’m not a prince, not anymore. It’s just Loki,” he corrected quietly, raising his eyes to her again. “I’m…I’m looking for the Wakandan princess, King T’Challa’s younger sister? Their mother said I would find her here.”

Shuri grinned. “And so you have.”

Loki looked rather surprised as he studied her for a moment. “But…you’re a child.”

“Hey,” she responded, offended. Loki clenched his eyes shut and massaged his brow, shaking his head.

“My apologies. I meant no offense. I’m still getting used to Midgardians and their measurements of time.”

Shuri leaned back against the desk behind her. “I’m sure it will take a while. You said you were looking for me. What can I help you with?”

She noticed he was carrying a small black bag over his shoulder and he shifted his weight uncomfortably. He massaged the back of his neck, his eyes wandering around the space.

“I will be leaving tomorrow. And there are some things I need to see before then,” Loki explained, clearing his throat. “I know your brother is not here, so I was hoping you might be able to help me.”

Shuri grinned, intrigued. “I will do my best. What are you looking for?”

Loki rubbed his palms together, his eyes flicking over to her. “I understand that Midgardians sometimes…in order to find a cause of death, they will run tests and do other such examinations on the dead, if there’s a body. Did…were such tests performed on my brother?”

He looked at her with bright green eyes, hope and sorrow mixing within their depths. Shuri had only seen the trickster a couple times, but she had always been struck by his expressive eyes. The young Wakandan let out her breath slowly and crossed her arms over her chest.

“Yes, there were a few tests run on Thor after…after. It wasn’t a full autopsy though,” she answered. _It wasn’t needed,_ she refrained from adding. Loki blinked a few times, shifting his weight again.

“May I see what you found?”

“I don’t think that’s a good idea,” Shuri said hesitantly, suddenly very uncomfortable.

“Lady Shuri, please. I need…” Loki paused, his lower lip trembling a little and he swiped at his eyes. “Please.”

Shuri opened her mouth to refuse but then Loki looked at her again. There was such sadness and pleading in his eyes, a need for closure. Shuri remembered after the Snap, walking out in the dusty fields of battle, desperate to find some trace of her brother. She had wailed and sobbed, feeling overwhelmed with the slaughter that surrounded her. It wasn’t just that she had lost her big brother. There was nothing left of him, not even his Panther suit. There was nothing to bury, nothing to cry over. It was all just dust.

The thought of someone else feeling such despair hurt Shuri’s heart. Loki was looking for something, anything of his brother. He was leaving this place, this strange place, alone. He had to leave Thor behind. S.H.I.E.L.D. had taken most of the remains of the battle, including Thor’s few belongings. Loki had somehow managed to hide his weapon before the agents could find it. Brunnhilde had argued with the agents, demanding they give Thor’s things to Loki, going so far to threaten them. Loki had been in the depths of his grief at the time. Once he started venturing out a little more, he’d inquired about his brother’s belongings once, just once, and T’Challa told him what had become of them. The trickster listened and then just nodded. He hadn’t said anything else and didn’t ask after them again.

Shuri bit her bottom lip, wanting to return some part of Thor to his brother. At the very least, Loki deserved some closure.

“If you truly want to see what we have, I will bring you the files and scans,” she said slowly, looking to the trickster. “But…it’s really graphic. Are you certain?”

Loki was quiet for a moment, his brow furrowing. “Lady Shuri, I believe you may be misunderstanding what I’m asking. I wish to see the results of whatever tests and scans you ran on Thor, but I also wish to see the places where you brought his body. And…where you laid him to rest.”

 _He wants to follow his brother’s final journey,_ Shuri realized, running her hand over her mouth. She was suddenly very worried about what the trickster was planning on doing.

“You’re not going to…hurt yourself, are you?”

Loki’s eyes snapped over to her, shocked. A small grin danced over his lips and he laughed breathily, shaking his head.

“I can assure you, Lady Shuri, I am not planning on taking my own life,” he said, a faint hint of amusement in his tone. He swallowed, his smile becoming a little sadder and subtler. “I cannot leave without…without saying goodbye.”

Shuri bit the inside of her cheek. Then, she strode across her lab to the table where she’d left her tablet. Loki watched her, curiosity reflected in his expression.

“I hope you don’t mind walking, Mr. Odinson,” she said, offering him a kind smile.

_*_

It wasn’t an overly far walk to where the makeshift hospital had been. It had been cleaned and sanitized, the wounded moved to the regular hospital now that it was no longer overflowing. The cots were still set up, but they were cleaned and made. Shuri imagined they would be moved into storage by the end of the week, where they would remain until they were needed again.

As they entered the large building, Loki paused near the entryway. Shuri stopped and twisted, turning to look at him. The trickster’s eyes wandered over the walls and throughout the space. He slowly moved over to the empty walkway where the hovering stretchers had been brought through.

Where he’d come in with his brother’s body, holding tightly to Thor’s hand.

Shuri watched silently as he slowly moved down the walkway, his hand hovering slightly in the air, thin fingers twitching. The trickster retraced his steps halfway through the building, pausing. He stood silently, looking down the aisle. After a moment, Loki turned back to look at Shuri.

“Could you show me to the room where we brought him? Please?” he requested. Shuri nodded and moved forward, striding through the empty building. It was incredibly eerie, so silent and still when it had been loud and chaotic such a short time ago.

Loki was unnaturally quiet and Shuri glanced over her shoulder to make sure he was still following behind her. The trickster was walking with his eyes fixed on the ground.

“I apologize if I’m keeping you from anything,” he muttered.

“That’s all right. There’s nothing pressing that needs my attention and I’ve got my tablet with me, so I can work on projects and formulas if I want,” Shuri replied as she led him to another quiet, dark hall. “You stayed in this room with him after you brought him in from the field.”

She opened the door to the room and Loki stepped inside, looking around at the dimly lit space. The curtains had been drawn over the windows, casting the light in soft browns and golds. The room had been cleaned and the sheets replaced on the bed. Loki gently set his bag on the ground and stepped further into the room, looking around at everything.

He slowly approached the bed, focusing on it. When he reached the side, Loki hesitantly reached out, his hand hovering over the pillow. For a moment, he just stood there. Then, he ran his hand over the soft blankets, all the way up to the pillow. Shuri watched as Loki carefully climbed onto the bed, slowly lowering himself so his head rested on the pillow. She wondered if perhaps she should give him some privacy, but she couldn’t turn away.

Loki nestled his head down on the pillow and curled up in a small ball, pulling his legs and arms close to his body. He had his back to Shuri, his attention fixed on the wall just under the window. He briefly turned his face into the pillow and inhaled, smelling the soft pillowcase, but he soon turned his head back to the side.

This was the last place he’d seen Thor. He was lying on the bed where his brother’s body had lain. This was where Loki had sat with him. This was where he’d held his brother’s hand for the last time.

When she heard the trickster sniffle, Shuri stepped back from the doorway and moved over to an empty chair in the hallway, giving him some privacy. Sitting down, she brought out her tablet and opened one of the files containing formulas.

Shuri soon lost herself in her work, tuning out everything around her. She didn’t notice how much time had passed and only looked up when she heard the trickster clearing his throat. He was standing in front of her, looking at her with something resembling amusement.

“I was going to apologize for taking so long, but you appear to have made good use of the time,” he mentioned and Shuri chuckled.

“I love my work,” she told him. “There’s nothing like a really good, solid formula. Besides, it’s only been twenty minutes. That’s not a long time.”

Loki arched an eyebrow, looking a little impressed. Then his expression fell again and a look of hesitance crossed his features. Shuri drew in her breath, knowing where he would ask to be shown next. It was the destination she was most dreading. She didn’t understand why Loki wanted to see it, but it was his decision.

“I need to see where you brought him next, after I left,” he said softly. Shuri nodded and stood from her chair. She looked at her tablet, tapping on the portal to the database of post-mortem files from the War of the Gauntlet. The number of dead was high, even though the Snap had been undone. Many had fallen during the battle. Thanos’ forces were cruel and merciless.

Shuri licked her lips and paused, looking to a plain door to the side. Glancing over to Loki, who was looking at her expectantly, she nodded to the door.

“Before I show you the morgue, I just want to show you something real fast, if you don’t mind,” she said and Loki nodded. Shuri moved over to the door and opened it, revealing a supply closet. She led Loki inside and shut the door behind them. The trickster frowned, confusion reflected on his face. Shuri moved past the empty shelves to the back wall and sat on the floor, patting the ground on her left. Loki moved over to her and sat beside her.

“You’re sitting where your brother did, the night after the Snap,” she told him. “When he found me hiding in here.”

Loki studied her curiously and Shuri wrapped her arms around her knees, a soft smile dancing over her lips as she thought back to that night.

**

Shuri didn’t think it were possible to cry so much. When she thought she had run out of tears, more would flood out of her eyes. She always knew what to do. There was always some formula to make sense of everything, to fix everything. One just had to look hard enough. She didn’t understand why she couldn’t figure this formula out.

It felt like an act of cowardice, hiding in a supply closet, lit only by a single lamp she’d brought in, but she needed somewhere quiet so that she could think. She just needed to _think_. Her hands were shaking wildly and every time she looked at them, she thought she’d be sick. They were covered in dust, possibly the remains of her brother, she didn’t know. Everything was dust.

Tears were streaming down her face and a million thoughts were racing through her mind. Shuri was doing everything she could to not think of all that she had lost. She couldn’t think of that, not yet. The devastation would paralyze her and she had to be at her sharpest if she was to fix this. She had to figure out some way to fix this.

Shuri looked up with a gasp when the door opened. The tall god of thunder stood in the doorway, a look of shock on his face. He’d obviously not expected anyone to be behind the door, in the dark closet. He reached for the light switch.

“No, please,” Shuri cried, holding up a hand. “Please don’t turn on the light.”

Thor’s hand lowered away from the switch and he nodded once, glancing over his shoulder.

“May I sit in here with you?” he asked softly. Shuri was about to say no, but then she noticed the small tremors racing through his hands. Looking up to his face, she could see the weariness and wondered if he was also seeking sanctuary. A place removed from all the death and grief.

Looking back to his face, she nodded and Thor stepped into the supply closet, shutting the door behind him. He moved over to sit beside her, leaning his back against the wall, closing his eye. He looked exhausted.

“Is there a need for supplies?” she asked and he opened his eye, glancing at her. “I can’t think of another reason why you’d seek out a supply closet, but the medical supplies are in the one just before this one. This is just odds and ends, nobody comes in here.”

“Ah, so it’s the ideal hiding place,” Thor mentioned with a soft, sad smile. “I was not looking for supplies.”

“Then why did you come here?”

Thor’s smile dropped and he started playing with his fingers, visibly swallowing. A tear ran down his cheek and he swiped at it.

“My…” Thor’s voice was strangled and he paused, clearing his throat. “My brother, he used to enjoy hiding in the most unexpected places. He loved to jump out and startle people. But he also hid when he was scared, though he would never admit it and thought I didn’t know. I was walking down this hall, noticed people passing by this door going to all the other rooms, and I thought, ‘That, that right there is a Loki place.’ I had to investigate it. I hoped…I was hoping…”

He trailed off and more tears slid down his face, unable to finish.

“Loki?”

Thor nodded. “My brother, Loki.”

“Did he disappear in the snap?” Shuri asked. Thor sniffled and shook his head.

“No. The mad titan killed him, along with most of my people, on our ship. Loki was…he was protecting me. He gave his life in the hopes that I could defeat Thanos,” Thor told her quietly, letting out a strangled laugh. “And I failed. The only family I had left died for nothing.”

“I’m sorry,” Shuri whispered, looking back to her hands. They were shaking wildly and all she could see was the dust covering them. Possibly the remains of her brother, her friends, her people. Thor glanced over at her, noticing her hands. He reached over and gently took her wrist.

“My brother disappeared in the snap. I went out to look for him, but I couldn’t find him. There was dust and now it’s on my hands,” Shuri told him, feeling tears running down her face again. “I don’t know how to clean it off. What if they’re T’Challa’s remains? I can’t just wash them. That feels disrespectful.”

Thor watched her as she spoke and then looked to her hands.

“Wait here. I shall return shortly,” he told her with a kind smile. He rose to his feet and moved across the dark space, exiting the closet. Shuri sat in the darkness, once again becoming lost in thought. She thought of all the formulas she knew and some that she was trying to figure out. The young Wakandan girl wondered if she should be thinking about what to do next, but that required her to think of things she didn’t want to just yet.

Before long, the door opened again and she saw Thor’s scruffy face in the dim lamp light. He held a cloth and a small ornamental box. Approaching her, he sat back in his spot and took her hand again, gently running the cloth over it. The cloth was slightly damp, but not wet, and it easily picked up the dust coating Shuri’s hands. Thor focused on her hands, making sure to clean off every last speck of dust. When he finished, he carefully folded the cloth and laid it inside the ornamental box, closing the lid and fastening the small latch.

“There,” he said gently, smiling a little as he handed her the box. “Now you can lay him to rest with honor.”

Shuri held the box close to her chest, looking over at Thor. “Thank you.”

Thor offered her a watery smile and turned his eyes back across the dark space. Shuri sniffled and swiped at her tears. She felt a strong arm wrap around her and Shuri slumped against Thor’s strong chest, trying to swallow her tears. She had cried enough. She didn’t want to cry anymore.

“There is no shame in tears,” Thor murmured, his voice a comforting rumble. “Nor is there shame in grief. We will avenge those whom we have lost. Tonight, we grieve and we start to heal. ‘Twill be a long battle and we must gather our strength.”

Shuri nodded and wept, burying her face in Thor’s armor. She could hear him whispering soft words to her. From the wobble in his voice, Shuri knew he was crying too. Before long, they were both weeping. They cried for everything and everyone they had loss until they had no more tears left to cry.

“Thor?”

“Yes, Lady Shuri?”

Shuri was quiet for a moment. “What do we do?”

“We keep going. We carry the memory of those we lost in our hearts for the rest of our days and we keep them alive through the stories we tell,” Thor told her. “No one is truly gone if we keep their memory alive.”

Shuri nodded, fiddling with the box. “Thor?”

“Yes?”

“If it’s not too painful, will you tell me about Loki?” she asked. Thor was quiet for a moment and she looked up at him. He smiled after a moment and nodded once.

“Gladly. I think…I believe you and my brother likely would have become friends. He was very clever, like you, though you probably don’t stab your brother nearly as often as Loki stabbed me,” Thor started fondly. Shuri frowned and stared at him, wondering if she had heard him right. _Gods are weird,_ she decided as she leaned back and listened to Thor’s voice.

**

Loki swallowed thickly and looked across the space, playing with his fingers. Shuri leaned back against the wall.

“We spent a couple hours in here. He told me so many stories about you, the adventures you went on together, stories about your childhood,” Shuri told him, smiling a little. “It was rather sweet.”

The trickster cleared his throat and glanced back at the young woman, smiling appreciatively and nodding.

“Thank you, Lady Shuri,” he said. He put his hand on the ground and rose to his feet, smoothing his clothing. Shuri rose with him, hoping he would change his mind about where they were going. She wanted him to remember Thor alive and happy, rather than the details of his death.

Loki moved easily over to the door and opened it, looking back to her. Her shoulders dropped and Shuri moved out of the closet, stepping into the quiet hall. She heard him close the door behind them and then continued following her.

They reached the large double doors that marked the entrance to where the temporary morgue had been. Even though the doors were normal-sized, they seemed to loom over them. Shuri glanced back at Loki. The trickster’s lips were set in a thin straight line and his expression was determined. He looked to her expectantly and Shuri turned her attention back to the doors, placing her hand on the smooth metal.

Taking a deep breath, she pushed open the door to the empty room. A few slabs were still set up, all spotless and clean. The drawers where some remains had been kept were set in one wall, all of them empty. The dead had been laid to rest a while ago. It was still kept at a cooler temperature and Shuri felt a chill go down her back.

Loki stood in the open doorway for a moment, just looking at the room with wide eyes. His eyes traveled up one wall, across the ceiling, and down another wall. Letting out his breath slowly, Loki hesitantly stepped inside the large space. He ran his hand up the strap he had over one shoulder, still observing the sterile environment.

“Which…which one?” he asked Shuri and it was the first time she’d ever heard him sound meek. His green eyes fixed on her, patiently waiting for her answer. She bit her lower lip and glanced down at her tablet, moving over to the tables. Letting out her breath slowly, she tapped one of the tables.

“This one. They had him on this one,” she told him. Loki remained standing still for a moment, almost like he couldn’t move. Then, he took a cautious step forward, as though putting one foot in front of the other required a great deal of effort. When he finally reached the table, he raised a shaking hand. Swallowing, the trickster placed his palm on the stainless steel, making a small noise in his throat.

“It’s cold,” he said, turning his eyes to Shuri. The way he said it, there was something so small and plaintive about his voice. None of the usual confidence oozed out of his words. He sounded almost like a lost child. Shuri just nodded, unsure what to say.

“Thor didn’t like to be cold,” Loki whispered, turning his eyes back to the clean metal. “Did you have to keep him cold?”

Shuri felt tears burn in her eyes briefly. “He wasn’t cold, not for very long. This room needed to be kept cool. So the bodies didn’t decompose or smell.”

Loki was quiet for a moment, looking at his hand on the clean metal and closing his eyes briefly. He put his other hand on the table and dropped his head, taking a few steadying breaths.

“May I please see the tests and scans you performed on him?” Loki requested softly, raising his eyes to meet hers again. There was such pain in the depths of those green eyes.

“Loki, don’t you want to remember your brother alive and happy? Why are you tormenting yourself in such a way?”

“Because I need to know,” Loki replied. “If it had been me in this frigid room, Thor would have learned every last detail so that he could retell my legend in songs and myths. The fool would probably embellish things just to make me look good, knowing him. It’s customary in Asgardian culture to record a person’s entire life, including their death. If a death is too violent, then the family withholds the more gruesome details, but they still learn them. A person’s story is important, something to be cherished, kept, and remembered. I need to do this for Thor.”

Shuri wanted to argue, wanted to point out that Thor wouldn’t want his brother to torture himself in such a way, but there was such determination in Loki’s eyes. She figured it would be better if she revealed the information he was seeking. At least she could soften the blow somewhat than if he just read it in a file. From what little she knew about Loki, he wouldn’t stop until he obtained the information he was seeking.

Clearing her throat and raising her eyebrows, Shuri tapped a few things on her tablet, moving over to a lit up table. Loki followed closely behind her, looking down at the screens on the table she stood at. Taking a deep breath, Shuri sent the images on her tablet onto the screens on the table. Loki looked down at the images of his brother, bloodied, beaten. And dead.

“The official cause of death was internal hemorrhaging,” Shuri told him, watching as he gently touched the picture of his brother’s bruised face. “Aside from the broken bones and ruptured organs, there were some severe burns on his midsection that we don’t know where it came from.”

“Could you have fixed him?” Loki asked softly, glancing around the room. “With your superior technology, was there any possibility that you might have been able to save my brother? Perhaps if I had retrieved a healer sooner…?”

Shuri looked at him sympathetically. “I’m sorry. With the severity of the wounds Thor sustained, I’m afraid they were beyond even our ability to treat. There was really nothing more you could have done.”

Loki swallowed and looked over at her. She pulled up some of the X-Rays and other scans they had done, which showed the immense amount of internal damage. Loki turned his eyes to the screens on the wall when the scans showed up on them. It clearly showed the numerous broken bones and ruptured organs, the blood pooling where it shouldn’t have. Shuri did her best not to think of how much pain Thor must have been in.

“The doctors think Thanos stomped on him, breaking the ribs and sternum, as well as most of his vertebrae,” Shuri told him but Loki shook his head. He made a fist and put it against the X-Ray of Thor’s shattered ribs.

“No, the mad titan would not have crushed my brother in such a way. He wanted to punish me and that would require inflicting an unimaginable amount of pain on Thor,” Loki murmured as though in a trance. “Show me the picture of the burns on his midsection, please.”

Shuri maneuvered a picture showing the burns onto the screen next to the X-Ray. Loki moved his fist over to the picture.

“No,” the trickster breathed.

Shuri put her hand over her mouth when she saw what he did. Loki straightened his hand and placed it against the screen, leaning his weight against the wall and dropping his head.

“He struck my brother with the Infinity Gauntlet. The burns are from the stones. Thanos struck him with that damn Gauntlet and those damn stones. And he did this when Thor was still alive, when he could feel it,” Loki muttered. For a while, he just stood there, silently, barely even breathing.

“Loki—”

Loki slammed his fist into the screen, cracking it, making Shuri jump. The picture shivered and blinked, eventually going dark. Loki slid to the ground, pulling at his long dark hair, breathing heavily. Shuri looked behind her, wondering what she should do. Part of her wanted to go back to her lab and just pretend they hadn’t found what they did.

“Thanos burned my brother. He burned him and he broke him,” Loki said softly, putting a hand over his face. “Because I was a fool and thought I could outsmart the mad titan.”

Shuri carefully moved over to the trickster, kneeling down in front of him. She could see tears dripping to the clean floor and reached out a hand, gently grasping Loki’s arm. He looked up at her, tears spilling over his eyes.

“I felt his despair, his pain, when I was trying to help him. Thor thought he had nothing left. He thought he had lost everything and he didn’t care if he made it through the battle. He believed saving this planet was worth any cost, believed it was possibly the one thing he could save. I should have gotten here sooner. I should have found some way to send him word that I was okay, that I would return,” Loki said shakily, scrubbing at his tears. “I was too afraid to return to the war, to face Thanos again, so I dawdled. I found any excuse I could to stay away from this planet, from what I assumed was a hopeless battle, and by the time I got there, it was too late. My brother had already been tortured and tormented. He was already suffering, already dying. What kind of a brother does that? If I hadn’t been so much of a coward, Thor would still be alive. At the very least, he wouldn’t have suffered so much. He wouldn’t have been burned and tortured so. He wouldn’t have been alone.”

Shuri bit her bottom lip, unsure what to say to Loki. The trickster pulled his knees up to his chest, tears still running down his cheeks. He still gripped his hair with one hand and clenched his eyes shut. Looking back to her tablet, Shuri quickly scrolled through the remaining pictures in the file, searching for a few in particular. She smiled when she found them, looking over at the grieving god.

“May I show you something?” she asked, drawing Loki’s attention to her. The trickster sniffled and nodded. Shuri enlarged the picture on her tablet and turned it to Loki. The dark-haired god frowned as he looked at the image, a look of disbelief crossing his features. Hesitantly, as if afraid it would disappear, Loki held out his hand and Shuri passed the tablet to him.

Loki held the tablet in front of him, staring in wonder at the picture of his brother. With shaking fingers, the trickster gently touched the screen, running them over the image of Thor’s face. His breath hitched a little and seemed unable to look away from the screen.

“There are no wounds,” Loki whispered in awe, flipping to another picture and squinting. “There are no burns, no scars. You…you fixed him.”

“Before we laid Thor to rest, the healers cleaned him up. We tended to his wounds, did our best to repair what was broken and concealed whatever we couldn’t,” Shuri told him, looking at the picture of the fallen god. They had dressed him in his armor again and draped a translucent golden veil over him. Shuri smiled as she studied the god of thunder, who looked so peaceful.

“Look at his face, Loki,” she encouraged the dark-haired god. He sniffled, swiping at his tears, and studied his brother’s features.

“He looks…at peace,” Loki whispered. “Free from pain and hurt.”

“Almost happy,” she added. “You are so focused on Thor’s pain, but do not think about how victorious he must have felt. His brother returned to him. Thor died knowing he’d succeeded in saving this planet. He died knowing you still lived and so did some Asgardians. Thor knew he hadn’t lost everything.”

The trickster placed his fingers on the clean image of Thor’s face. “He wasn’t alone when he was here?”

Shuri shook her head. “No, not even for a moment.”

“Good,” Loki whispered. “Good.”

He sat quietly for a little longer, just staring at the tablet. Shuri sat beside him, waiting patiently. Soon, Loki swallowed and handed the tablet back to her, rising to his feet. He shuffled his feet a little, clearing his throat as he regained his composure.

“Thank you, Lady Shuri,” he spoke softly, glancing at her with a small grin. “I believe I’m ready to see where you laid my brother to rest now.”

Shuri smiled, pleased to be able to show him the place where they buried Thor. It was a lovely place, perfectly suited for a fallen hero.

_*_

They had to take a hover vehicle to Thor’s final resting place. On the ride over, Shuri glanced over at Loki. He had his arms spread across the seats, his eyes closed and his face up toward the sky. He was the very portrait of calm and relaxed. Her eyes traveled over the beautiful lands of her home, watching as the scenery sped by. Shuri did so love the lands of Wakanda.

It was a fairly long journey and the sun was starting to set by the time they reached the base of the hill. The young inventor was pleased. They weren’t too late and had arrived at the perfect time. The dark-haired trickster opened his eyes and looked to her, curious.

“Come on, it’s a bit of a climb,” she said eagerly as she hopped out of the vehicle. Loki slowly got to his feet and hopped down to the ground. Shuri waited for him before leading him to the gentle slope that would lead up to the top of the hill.

“T’Challa felt this would be the most appropriate place for your brother,” Shuri explained as they continued moving up the hill. She was pleased that Loki was able to keep up with her quick pace. Loki was looking around as they climbed higher. He adjusted the pack he carried on his back.

It didn’t take overly long to reach the hill and when they reached the top, the sun was setting. Shuri stepped to the side, allowing Loki to stand at the top. The trickster’s mouth dropped open slightly as he looked around at the beautiful place with wide green eyes. The setting sun’s rays cast the entire area in a soft golden light. There was a single large tree on the hill and the light was dappled through its branches. Some large rocks were off to the side and another tree had fallen over them, creating the perfect natural bench.

“It’s…it’s beautiful,” Loki whispered, clearly in awe. Shuri nodded and moved over to the large stone. There was a bolt of lightning engraved and filled in with vibranium.

“Here he can watch over the planet that he loved so much,” she told him, gently touching the stone. She had ventured out here a few times since the burial, just to visit her friend.

Loki visibly swallowed as he looked off into the distance.

“Just what he would have wanted,” he replied, his voice wobbling slightly. He let out a breathy laugh and swiped at his eyes, turning back to the young Wakandan princess.

“If it’s not too much trouble, may I have a moment alone here?” he requested politely. Shuri offered him a sympathetic smile and nodded.

“Of course, I’ll be down at the vehicle whenever you’re ready to return to the palace,” she told him. Then she moved past the trickster and started descending the hill. Halfway down, Shuri was surprised to find that her eyes were watering a little. She turned her attention to her tablet and continued on her way.

_*_

Loki watched as the Wakandan princess descended the hill, waiting until she was out of sight before lowering the bag he had to the ground. He slowly approached the stone that marked his brother’s final resting place. Kneeling before it, Loki reached out a hand and laid it on the smooth stone. With skillful fingers, he traced the vibranium design of the lightning bolt.

The wind swept through the branches of the tree, drawing Loki’s attention behind him. His green eyes widened slightly when he saw Thor sitting on the branch, smiling at him. His smile was tired, but still filled with such fondness and love. The sunlight pierced through him and Loki could easily see through the translucent form. _Obviously this would be the moment when I lose my mind. Of course,_ the trickster thought. Turning his eyes back to the stone, Loki gritted his teeth and rose to his feet.

“I will _never_ forgive you for this, Thor,” he hissed as he turned to face his brother again. “How dare you appear to me now. I hate you.”

Thor’s smile didn’t waver as he just looked up at the irate trickster. Loki approached him, his fists clenched and shaking at his sides.

“Your soul is trapped here, in this damn backwater planet probably because of those damn stones! Do you understand that?” Loki demanded. “You might never walk the halls of Valhalla. You might never see Mother and Father again. What the Hel could possibly be worth giving that up for!?”

Thor was quiet for a moment, just watching Loki.

“You are safe,” his voice was a soft echoing murmur, an ethereal sound. “You are free. That is worth any price.”

Loki’s breath stopped in his chest, his anger growing more intense. Thor continued to sit and watch him, fondness twinkling in his expression.

“You are home, Loki.”

“But you’re dead!” Loki shouted at him, his voice echoing. “I am alone! No place will ever be home! You are dead and your soul might be trapped here for eternity! I don’t want this! I never wanted this! I don’t care if I’m safe, not if the price was your life! Damn you, Thor!”

Loki turned away from him and sank to his knees, unable to contain his weeping. After a moment, he felt two large arms wrap around him, slightly colder than they used to be. One large hand gently stroked the trickster’s dark hair, shushing Loki as he wept.

“I am sorry I left you, brother,” Thor murmured as he continued comforting the grieving trickster. Loki turned his head, but could not hear a heartbeat. He knew his brother wasn’t really there. Thor was dead and buried, but Norns did his arms feel real.

“I don’t know what to do,” Loki sobbed. “How do I do this without my brother? What do I do?”

“Live,” Thor whispered to him. “Live, brother. Go back to the Asgardians, lead them as we were always destined to.”

Loki sniffled and shook his head, stubbornly. He felt Thor gently release him and grip his shoulders, holding him at arm’s length. Loki looked up to his eye and Thor grinned at him.

“I never left you, Loki. I never will,” Thor said, his mouth not moving. He released one of Loki’s shoulders and gently placed his large palm on Loki’s heart. “I’m always right here. I shall live on in your heart and your memories.”

He leaned forward and gently kissed Loki’s brow. As the sun lowered down and the moon rose in the sky, the spirit dissipated. Loki watched as the tiny pinpricks of light danced away on the wind, vanishing into the sky. The trickster let out a shaky breath, swiping away at the tears that streaked his face.

Reaching over to the bag he’d brought, Loki opened the flap and pulled out two sheaths with fighting daggers.

“This is utterly ridiculous,” he muttered as he knelt before the stone. “I know how much it hurt you, believing I was dead and would never return. I don’t wish for you to feel such despair again, even though it’s rather impossible, seeing as how you’re...”

Loki paused and slowly let out his breath, using his arm to wipe away the tears that fell. He swallowed and looked to the stone, holding up the daggers.

“I’m going to leave these here, with you, so you know that I’m alive and will return to visit you, some day,” the trickster finished. He hesitantly reached forward, reverently laying the blades at the base of the stone. For a time, the trickster sat there silently, looking at the stone.

“Thank you, brother,” Loki whispered.

The trickster raised his fingers to his lips and kissed them. He then placed them against the stone.

“Goodbye, Thor,” Loki murmured. “Until we meet again.”

The trickster rose from the ground and lifted his now empty bag. Looking at the stone one final time, he let out his breath and turned, making his way toward the path that would lead down the hill. Around him, the pleasant sounds of night birds drifted on the wind.

**

**_Epilogue_ **

The day after Thor returned from Wakanda, after years away, he and Loki slept for the entire day. Thor woke up early the next morning, his body still aching, and turned his eye to his brother. Loki was still curled up tightly under the blanket, tightly clutching Thor’s arm, refusing to release it. Thor smiled faintly, reaching over with his free hand and running his fingers through his brother’s dark hair. The god of thunder still couldn’t believe the trickster was there, alive. Loki sighed in his sleep, hugging Thor’s arm a little tighter, not waking. Thor closed his eye and went back to sleep.

The following night, Thor woke up from a nightmare, drenched in sweat and shaking violently. All he could see was Loki’s sightless eyes, staring at nothing. The memory of Loki, dead, his chest still, his heartbeat gone, haunted the god of thunder. Thor was panting and only settled down when he felt his brother’s arms wrap around him.

“Shhh,” Loki whispered soothingly. “It was just a nightmare, brother. Go back to sleep.”

Thor swallowed, not wanting to close his eye again, fearful of what images might await him. He turned his head to look over at Loki, who was lying on his side with his eyes closed.

“Loki?”

“Hmm?” Loki sounded barely awake.

“Shuri mentioned that you followed along in my last steps, before you left Wakanda,” Thor began and Loki’s eyes snapped opened. They fixed on the god of thunder and he pulled back his arms, releasing his brother.

“Thor, please do not ask me about that,” he requested softly. “I do not wish to think of that so soon after you’ve returned.”

Thor swallowed and nodded, nestling more under the blankets. Loki closed his eyes again, sticking his hands under the pillow.

“Loki?”

An irritated groan was the response the god of thunder got and Thor couldn’t help but smile. He had missed his brother in the time he was away.

“Did you walk Mother’s footsteps? When you were pretending to be Odin, before we encountered Hela?”

Tired green eyes opened again and studied Thor’s face for a moment. Loki nodded.

“I’m sorry,” Thor whispered. “That you didn’t get to say goodbye. I was angry at the time, but I should have argued for you to be allowed to attend her funeral. She would have wanted you there.”

Loki closed his eyes again. “We cannot change the past, Thor. I was able to say goodbye to Mother during my brief time as ruler of Asgard.”

Thor grinned, leaned forward, and kissed his brother’s brow. The response was another irritated groan, this one with a hint of whine in it. Thor turned over and closed his eye, hoping that sleep would not elude him.

A short time later, the trickster’s eyes opened when his brother started trembling violently again, thrashing about and muttering. Letting out a huff of irritation, Loki reached over and wrapped his arms around Thor, holding him close and gently shushing him. The closeness seemed to reassure the god of thunder as the tremors stopped. Loki gently kissed his temple, tightening his grip slightly.

“No more last journeys, no more grieving,” Loki whispered to Thor. “Time to leave the nightmares behind. This is the start of a new adventure. A new path to follow and plenty more stories to tell.”

The trickster grinned when he felt his brother relax, drifting back into a peaceful sleep. Loki allowed his own eyes to slide shut and he fell asleep, still holding onto his brother.

 

 

 

 

**_The End_ **


End file.
